Book Reviews

“This book is a gold mine. Campaigning for Justice provides invaluable insights into how human rights campaigns work, and distills lessons gleaned from dozens of veteran advocates. It illustrates the rich diversity of the human rights movement today, and will be a terrific resource not only for those just entering human rights work, but also for those with years of experience.”

“Documenting the lives of practitioners on the frontline of advocacy for human rights, Jo Becker shows us why the world no longer remains silent when terrible crimes occur. Campaigning for Justice is a vivid testament to the lives of human rights activists, including Becker’s own, as advocates and courageous fighters for the rights of others.”

– Radhika Coomaraswamy, Former Special Representative to the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations

“A singular contribution to the literature on activism, this book will be indispensable for those interested in advocacy in general and human rights in particular.”

– Elazar Barkan, Columbia University

“While there are books about social movements and books about human rights ideas and issues, this book is situated in the critical gap between those two bodies of work, designed to address the question of how human rights organizations actually do their work. The book has a currency which is needed right now.”

– Barbara Frey, University of Minnesota

“One of the many merits of Campaigning for Justice is to present an encompassing and thorough assessment of how the promotion of human rights and accountability operates in practice. A collection of advocates provides the reader with an integrated picture of the UN mechanisms, the creative role of NGOs and the building of successful alliances, without overlooking the role of individuals who were able to inspire and lead those efforts. Jo Becker, with her enormous experience and formidable commitment to the realization of human rights, has assembled a series of outstanding analyses in a book that will be an obligatory reference for everyone who wants to understand the state of the struggle for human rights in the twenty-first century.”

– Paulo S. Pinheiro, Independent Expert of the UN Secretary-General´s World Report on Violence Against Children and chair of the UN independent international commission of inquiry on Syria